Chapter 75 Arousing Emperor Liang’s Suspicion
Lin Xiaoyue calmed down and looked directly at Prince Jingnan, and replied, "Prince Jingnan, I am the eldest princess's maid. Even if I need to be lectured, it's the eldest princess. Besides, the emperor is sitting here, and no one has any objections. What right do you, a mere prince from another family, have to criticize me here? Although I am a maid, I am also a maid in the eldest princess's mansion. You have to look down on the owner when beating a dog. Prince Jingnan, you look down on my eldest princess, don't you?"
Prince Jingnan felt like he couldn't breathe in or out, it was like something was stuck in his throat!
Finally, he turned his spear and questioned Princess Mingzhu, "What a sharp-tongued maid! Princess, do you really not care about your maid? By being so presumptuous, aren't you afraid of provoking someone you shouldn't mess with?"
Lin Xiaoyue felt the look in the eldest princess's eyes. She knew that the eldest princess was tacitly approving of her behavior, so she answered directly on her behalf: "Prince Jingnan, our eldest princess has always been kind and pure. She is loyal to the emperor and cares deeply for the people. We servants all obey the eldest princess's teachings and never do evil to others, bully the weak and fear the strong, bully others by force, or rob others! For example, if something is out of our reach, we will never force it!"
"You, you, you..." Prince Jingnan was so angry that he almost lost his temper. He pointed at Lin Xiaoyue's nose and couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time. Finally, he threw his sleeves in anger and went to Emperor Liang to ask for an explanation. He said, "Your Majesty, I have never suffered such a great humiliation! Please help me!"
Emperor Liang didn't want to pay any attention to Prince Jingnan. He simply spread his hands and prepared to lean back on the couch and close his eyes to rest. However, as soon as his hands touched his robe, he felt something else underneath.
He took them out and saw that they were actually letters, some of which were written by ministers. Didn't ministers write memorials? When had they ever written a letter to him?
I’m not that old, how come I have no memory at all?
Emperor Liang opened the letter in confusion and saw only the three words "Prince Jingnan" written at the beginning. Below was information about transactions of buying and selling official positions, and the signature below was the name of the Minister of Personnel - Zhou Zhengyan.
Then, Emperor Liang opened another letter, which was still addressed to Prince Jingnan. The content was about how the power of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion was divided, and it was signed by the Prime Minister - Gu Hanyu.
Then, Emperor Liang read through all the letters, his anger rising three feet high. "You are so loyal! You should be called hypocritical and shameless! Not only did you collude with the Minister of Personnel to buy and sell official positions, but you also secretly divided up the power of the Prince of Zhennan with the Prime Minister. I said that the Prince of Zhennan's property was gone, but how come his influence in various places was also gone? It turns out that it was all your fault! Do you still want my kingdom?"
Prince Jingnan couldn't believe it. He had done all these things very secretly. He hid the only few letters in his study and never let anyone in. How could the emperor know about it?
He immediately knelt on the ground and kowtowed, complaining, "Your Majesty, I am innocent! Even if you gave me a hundred guts, I wouldn't dare to do that! Your Majesty, please don't trust the slander of those villains!"
Emperor Liang threw the letter in his hand directly at Prince Jingnan's face, gritting his teeth and cursing, "Open your dog eyes! Have I wronged you?"
When Prince Jingnan picked up the letter and took a look at it, his face turned very ugly. This was probably the worst fall he had ever had since he became an official in the court!
He took a deep breath and tried to defend himself, "Your Majesty, please believe me. Someone forged my handwriting to slander me. I've been with you through thick and thin. How could I do such a thing?"
Emperor Liang originally thought that Prince Jingnan was a loyal and honest person. If the Prince Zhennan incident had not exposed his ambition, he would have been kept in the dark forever!
This time, no matter whether these letters are true or not, we must teach this old fox a lesson and let him know the consequences of his ugly behavior!
Emperor Liang shouted in a deep voice, "Come here! Throw Prince Jingnan into the Heavenly Prison and await your punishment!"
Prince Jingnan grabbed Emperor Liang's robe and spoke quickly, "Your Majesty, this year's grain harvest is not a good one. If we have to meet the military rations, the people will have nothing to eat. If Your Majesty can give me a chance to reform, I have a way to help Your Majesty overcome this difficult time!"
Emperor Liang has been receiving memorials from local areas recently, and he is also worried about this matter. Winter is coming soon. If the food problem is not solved, many people will freeze to death or starve to death. It will be difficult to recruit young people to serve in the military for the court next year, which will seriously undermine the foundation of the Dongsui Kingdom!
But if we don't get rid of Prince Jingnan, it would be like keeping a scourge around, which would be extremely detrimental to the court!
Emperor Liang, filled with anger, sarcastically said, "I've had calculations done. Even if we distribute all the grain in the treasury to the people, it still isn't enough! Do you think the Jingnan Palace has more money than my treasury?"
Prince Jingnan vowed, "Your Majesty, I dare not! But I will personally lobby officials and wealthy merchants from all over the country. If I cannot ensure that the people can safely survive this winter, I am willing to die as an apology!"
Emperor Liang glanced at Princess Mingzhu and asked, "Princess, what do you think?"
Princess Mingzhu understood the dilemma of Emperor Liang. On one side were the common people, and on the other were the corrupt officials in the court. Both sides were very difficult to deal with. However, no matter how difficult the situation was, the most important thing was that the common people could have enough food to eat. If the common people were in chaos, the day when Dongsui Kingdom would be destroyed would not be far away!
But if Prince Jingnan were to lobby officials and wealthy businessmen from all over the country, and if the grain failed to come, he would use the power of these places to compete with the imperial court, then the gain would be greater than the loss!
Just when Princess Mingzhu and Emperor Liang were at a loss as to what to do, Lin Xiaoyue came up with a solution. She said, "Princess, I have a suggestion. I wonder if I should tell you."
Princess Mingzhu asked curiously, "What? Feel free to tell me!"
Lin Xiaoyue avoided the Liang Emperor's gaze and said with her head down, "Those who bought their positions have the money to do so, so give them a chance. If they each provide 5,000 dan of grain, their death penalty will be spared, but they will lose their positions. If they each provide 10,000 dan of grain, they can retain their official positions. In addition, in Dongsui, if there are wealthy merchants willing to donate more than 10,000 dan of grain, the emperor can give them a minor official position of no importance."
"Of course, these positions are not hereditary, nor are they subject to meritocracy or promotion. If they truly serve the emperor, their descendants can be given the opportunity to take the imperial examinations in spring and autumn, thus winning over the people. This will not only solve the people's food problem, but also stabilize the situation."
Princess Mingzhu happily patted Lin Xiaoyue's shoulder and praised: "This is a good idea. Shouldn't the emperor give a reward?"
Emperor Liang stared at Lin Xiaoyue for a long time. Although this face looked unfamiliar, he always felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity. Was it an illusion?
He walked up to Lin Xiaoyue unconsciously, reached out and lifted her chin, hoping to find the answer from this face.
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